A Little Holiday Magic
by Nefereu
Summary: A little of the special magic of the season finds its way into the life of the great Josef Kostan.


A Little Holiday Magic

I know what you are thinking. Nicholas, what are you doing?! Why in all the world would someone like him be deserving of some Christmas magic? He's been alive for centuries, wreaked all kinds of mayhem over the years and has more money than he could ever possibly need. How could someone like him be worthy of anything let alone something so special as a divine intervention? But the simple fact is that this season isn't about me dressing up in a red suit going around judging who's more deserving or weighing and measuring a person's deeds. It's about faith and hope and belief in something greater than ourselves and right now he needed that most of all.

True, he's been no saint unlike yours truly if you'll pardon the pun. But where you see an accomplished, sophisticated man who has everything, I still remember a towheaded little boy in a cottage by a river eagerly waking up to celebrate his favorite saint's feast day with his family. Right now, the man needed some of the magic that little boy used to believe in.

Josef Kostan sat back in the loft of his best friend Mick St. John desperately trying to choke down the lump of jealous envy that rose in his throat at the sight in front of him. In the past he and Mick made it a yearly tradition to spend a lonely late night Christmas Eve sharing a sanguine drink as they commiserated over their solitary existence. But this year was different; now Mick had his Beth and he was happier than Joseph had ever seen him.

In the past six months, Mick's bachelor designer penthouse had been radically altered courtesy of one Ms. Beth Turner. Though much of the furniture and artwork remained the same, her influence was obvious in tiny ways. A colorful throw pillow here, a candle there and a few knickknacks had transformed the vampire detective's residence into a warm and inviting place, not the cold solitary residence of a forsaken creature doomed to be alone .

The Christmas season only made it worse. A huge tree festooned with blinking lights and dripping with ornaments occupied much of the large sitting area. Under it, stacks of bright shiny packages bedecked with miles of ribbon were piled in great heaps. But the biggest transformation of all had to be Mick himself. Gone was the sulking being full of self loathing who spent the last half century hating what he was. In his place was a man who spent his time laughing and sharing his days with the woman he loved.

To Josef, he finally seemed at peace with what he was. He truly tried to be happy for his friends, but sometimes their joy was like a razor blade slashing his own heart, repeatedly reminding him of his own lost love and singular desolate state.

Josef spent the early part of Christmas eve as he always did, with his 'girls'. There had been designer chocolates handmade in Switzerland and dozens of pieces of jewelry courtesy of Tiffany's and Cartier. After accepting the usual protestations of gratitude, he'd headed towards Mick's place but tonight there would be no melancholy ritual in a gloomy apartment. His first clue was the Christmas music he heard before he even got off the elevator. The large green wreathe with a big red bow on the door was his second. But it was the sight of his grinning best friend in a large green shirt emblazoned with the slogan "Yes, I am on Santa's Naughty List", a giant pair of reindeer antlers atop his head that made Josef realize that things between them had changed forever. Ruefully, he shook his head as he accepted his garishly clad friend's invitation to enter. There were some outfits that made even a perpetually cool vampire like Mick look silly.

Josef plastered on a smile and graciously accepted the gifts they gave him. There was a vintage bottle of rare wine from Mick and a gold pair of Armani cufflinks with his initials on them from Beth. He had reciprocated of course, gifting Mick with a rare 1950's Les Paul guitar owned by a famous musician. For Blondie, there was a spa gift certificate to an exclusive Beverly Hills salon. As he watched them opening their gifts, the smiles on faces were almost painful to watch as it only intensified his own loneliness.

Tonight, seeing their happiness made him more acutely aware than ever of his own empty life without Sarah. Lately, it had been even worse. He was beginning to wonder if he'd lived too long. Just as he had decided he couldn't take anymore domestic holiday bliss and was about to make his polite goodbyes, his cellphone rang. Morose and distracted, he answered it curtly "Josef Kostan."

Funny how a man's destiny can change with a single phone call. In an instant, the stars align, the universe opens up and suddenly anything is possible. In the years to come, He would always remember this night and the words that tilted his world on its axis forever as a little holiday magic made its way into the life of the great Josef Kostan.

"Mr. Kostan? This is Pam, Ms. Whitley's nurse. Sir…she's awake and she's asking for you."


End file.
